Users of application programs or operating systems sometimes inadvertently install software resources that misbehave or are malicious. Software resources include, e.g., application programs, user interfaces, device drivers, network protocol stacks, and other electronic information. As an example, users may install an application program that provides desirable functionality but may be infected with a virus that produces undesirable results. As a further example, the installed application program may be a Trojan horse. A Trojan horse is a program that provides useful functionality and otherwise appears to be innocuous, but is designed to be malicious or provide results unintended by its use. Indeed, any software resource may inadvertently behave in unintended ways because of programming errors, conflicts with other software resources, or a variety of other reasons.
When a software resource misbehaves or performs malicious activities, it may cause a variety of problems for users, other software resources, and an operating system that may be managing and coordinating multiple software resources. It would thus be highly desirable to provide a framework for a security system that reduces a likelihood of such problems.